Your Eyes to the World of Soft Pastel Art
Featured Pastel Artist: Alan Flattmann
Alan Flattmann was born in New Orleans and attended the John McCrady Art School there. Alan is an exceptional artist whose work is filled with the rich imagery of the world as he sees it. For me he is one of the greatest living pastel artists. With a keen sense of history and place, he has traveled the world with his pastels, ready to let the continuity of time, tradition, and landscape speak to his imagination. Though he has gained a considerable following for his paintings of Caribbian and Mediteranian landscapes and people, Flattmann always returns home to his native New Orleans and the French Quarter for renewed inspiration. His Franch Quarter Impressions reveal the artist’s continuing love affair with a place that has tempered his work and his view of the world.
In 2006, the 
PSA honored Alan’s outstanding art by inducting him into the PSA Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of the IAPS Master Circle Award and is the founder and current president of the Degas Pastel Society.
His work is the subject of three books, Alan Flattmann’s French Quarter Impressions (2002), The Art of Pastel Painting (1987-92) and The Poetic Realism of Alan Flattmann (1980). Check the preview of these Alan’s books. His work has also been featured in many major art publications and the latest I found is the cover page of the Best of America Pastel Artists Vol II. To see more of Alan’s work visit Bryant Gallery Website.
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Bill Creevy in PSA Hall of Fame
about 5 months ago - 2 comments
Each year the Pastel Society of America selects an outstanding artist to be included in the Hall of Fame to honor his or her special achievements in pastel painting. The artist included this year (2011) was Bill Creevy, a widely exhibited New York artist with over twelve solo shows. Originally a native of New Orleans,…
Elements of Painting with Crayons by John Russell
about 7 months ago - No comments
Here is the link on Google books to “Elements of Painting with Crayons” by John Russell from 1700s. It is an interesting booklet on 40 pages, especially when you consider when it was written. Do not expect fancy color paintings and be prepared to many spelling errors, most likely due to book digitizing software. Russell…
An Interview with Harley Brown
about 1 year ago - No comments
The August issue of the Pastel Scribbler is bringing an interview with Harley Brown. Harley is Canadian artist best known for his pastel portraits of Native American Indians and other characters of the Wild West. He is author of sold out bestsellers Confessions of a Starving Artist, Eternal Truth’s for Every Artist and Inspiration For…
Old Pastel Master: Edouard Manet
about 1 year ago - No comments
Edouard Manet (1832-1883) Some of Edouard’s Manet well known oil paintings are ”Déjeuner sur l’herbe”, at that time considered scandalous, and Olympia (painted 1863), the most shocking work in 1865 presented in Salon. Less known is the fact Manet has used pastel medium in last 3 years of his life when he was forced by…
Claude Texier Pastel Demo
about 1 year ago - No comments
Claude Texier is a very known pastel artist from France where she has been regarded as a “Master Pastelist” since April 2000. She was born in Morocco, where she spent her first twenty years. Since 1994 she has been focused mainly on the art of pastel. In October of 2006, she has been elected as…
Bonnie Zahn Griffith finished 100 Pastels Series
about 1 year ago - No comments
Bonnie Zahn Griffith is a landscape artist working mostly in pastels and acrylics. Her work is generally representational depicting the northwest US and she lives in Washington. I like Bonnie’s work in general and it was a pure joy following the development of the 100 more or less same paintings. Here you can see my…
Old Pastel Master: James Whistler
about 1 year ago - No comments
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. At age 21 he sailed to Europe after committing himself to become an artist. Among the others he met Edgar Degas in Paris whose friendship was very important to him as an artist. He emerged as an advocate of Aestheticism, movement that promoted the…
Portrait of Mary Cassatt by Edgar Degas
about 2 years ago - No comments
This is the portrait of Mary Cassatt made by Eduard Degas. Not much is known about Mary Cassatt’s relationship with Degas, as she burned all their correspondence before she died. However, it is generally assumed that the two were lovers, although nothing can be proved. What is certain is that the two painters had a…
Featured Pastel Artist: Jerry H. Brown
about 2 years ago - 2 comments
Jerry Brown was born and raised in Kirksville, Missouri. He enrolled in college in 1964 with no set plan or major field of study in mind. He took several art classes, enjoyed them and was encouraged by his teachers. He soon decided to earn a degree in Art Education. After two years in the Army…
Old Pastel Master: Edgar Degas
about 2 years ago - No comments
Hilaire-Germain- Edgar Degas (1834 –1917) I’m fully aware that every pastelist has heard about Edgar Degas, but the series about Old Pastel Masters wouldn’t be complete without the King of Pastels. Degas is a french artist, acknowledged as the master of drawing the human figure in motion. He worked in many mediums, preferring pastel to…
Barbara Benedetti Newton
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about 2 years ago
Alan is not only a phenomenal artist (I’m the proud owner of Gabriel’s Horn, the top, right hand corner of the collage), but he is so giving of his time and knowledge.
The Degas Pastel Society had a “Paint Out” last week near New Orleans, open to all artists regardless of medium. As he did last year, Alan performed a demo for all in attendance – this time a mini-workshop on underpainting with oils – and introduced pastels to yet another group of artists. He really is passionate about the medium and about “spreading the word”.